Reborn
by Alenida
Summary: Jean Grey died in XMen 2. But now, Scott finds her alive again, and she knows something that Magneto wants to know. Slightly AU. The beginning of an ongoing story arc.
1. The Lake

Disclaimer: Well, I don't own the X-men. Mmm. Surprising. Yes, disclaimers are boring.

A/N: This is the first fanfic I've posted. Er, reviews would be nice. Yes. There's more stories and chapters if people review. looks hopeful

**Reborn**

Sunrise. The first rays of morning light glinted off the still waters of a mountain lake. Calm. Peaceful. No trace remained of the horrible test facility which had been there. Nothing was left. The sun climbed higher, and deep inside the lake, something moved. The waves grew rougher, though there was no wind. The lake tossed a still form to its side, and then subsided.

A young woman lay on her back, half-in, half-out of the water. Her reddish hair lay about her like a halo. She wore a black, business-like suit, soaked and torn by the water. Her form lay motionless for a time.

Then, with a tiny whisper, her shoulders moved, and her chest began to rise and fall. She moaned a little, but did not wake. The sun continued its ascent. A gentle breeze played through the woman's hair. The sun warmed her, but did not waken her.

At about noon, a humming roar was heard, an engine. A sleek gray craft crested the mountains which cradled the lake. The plane descended almost silently to land among the trees. Across the lake, the woman began to stir.

A man exited the plane. He wore a plain black sweater, and black denim jeans. Strange, black and red glasses covered his eyes. The breeze tossed his brown hair about playfully. He was carrying a bunch of wildflowers. His lips moved, forming a word. "Jean," he whispered and made his way down to the side of the lake. The woman was not in his line of sight.

He knelt by the water's edge. The sun shone down through the waters of the lake, as far as the eye could see, but there was nothing there but water and sand and rock. The man had seven flowers in his bunch. He threw them, one by one, onto the still, glassy waters of the lake. A daisy…a buttercup…a pansy…a bachelor's button…a lily-of-the-valley…a harebell…and a rosemary…they floated on the water in a never-ending, sluggish dance. The man sighed. Again he whispered, "Jean." The woman's eyelids fluttered.

The man sat back on his heels and looked up into the sky. "I don't know if you can hear me, Jean," he spoke sadly, "But I miss you." The woman moved her head from side to side and gave a little moan. She tried to push herself up on one elbow.

The man looked bitterly at the lake. He hit it with his hand, sending up a spray of water. "Damn you, you cursed lake! You killed her!" He put his head in his hands. The woman recognized his voice. "Scott?" she called softly across the lake. He didn't hear the call.

The woman shook her head. "He can't be here," she murmured. "_I_ can't be here. Scott! Is that you?"

This time the man heard. He looked up. He could make out her shape, far away across the water. His eyes widened. "Jean? It can't be…"

"It's me, Scott."

"But you're…"

Puzzled, almost sobbing, Jean took a step forward. Before she knew it, she was in the air, flying toward him. His eyes widened in shock. She landed in front of him, just as he stood up. "Scott…" she whispered.

"Is it really you?" he asked, taking a step closer.

A tear ran down her cheek. "I…don't…know…" she said slowly. Real or not, he couldn't bear to see her this unhappy. He held out his arms. She stepped uncertainly forward, and he drew her to him for a kiss.

As they broke, Jean began shivering. "You're cold," Scott said. He took off his sweater and put it around her shoulders. "Let's get you home."

"Home?"

"Home to the school."

Jean nodded, still shivering. Scott put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the jet, which stood waiting nearby.

A man sat in a wheelchair, looking out the window. Sun shone off his bald head. His blue eyes seemed to be searching for something. Immediately behind him, a younger was standing silently. His arms were crossed over his chest and his dark hair was shaped into two symmetrical crests.

"Do you see him?" he asked. His voice was low and rumbling.

"Yes. Scott's coming home now."

"Why did he go, Professor?"

The Professor turned slowly around in his wheelchair to look the other man in the eyes. "He misses her, Logan," he said simply.

"So do I," Logan growled, roughly swiping at his eyes with his arm.

"I know you do. We all do. But you must remember, it was her choice."

"I know, I know. That doesn't take the sting away from it."

"I understand, Logan."

Outside the window, the gray jet banked sharply and landed smoothly in front of building, in the middle of a basketball court.

A girl with two streaks of white in her long brown hair was sitting on a bench near the basketball court, her eyes puffy. A boy had his arm around her.

"It's okay, Bobby," she sniffed. "It's just…when Scott went to the lake…I can't help thinking about Jean…she helped me a lot…almost as much as Logan."

"Shhh. I know, Rogue. I know," the boy whispered. Rogue looked up. "Oh, look. There's the jet. Why isn't the basketball court opening?"

"It's broken. The teachers are going to fix it tonight."

"Oh."

On the basketball courts, the door to the jet opened, and the ramp extended. Two figures were clearly visible, one helping the other down.

"Oh, my God, Bobby!" Rogue cried, clutching at his shirt.

"Rogue? What is it?"

"Bobby…that's Jean!"

Someone knocked on the door to the Professor's office. "Come in," the Professor called.

"Professor Xavier, look!" Scott almost burst through the door, his arm and jacket wrapped around a shivering, dripping woman, near to tears.

"My God…" Xavier said slowly. "Jean."

In Xavier's office, a group of people crowded around his desk. Logan, Scott, and a woman with white hair, but dark skin and eyes.

"What's going on?" the woman asked.

"It's Jean. She's alive," Scott replied.

"She can't be! Are you sure it isn't…Mystique, or somebody?"

"Storm, Scott, calm down," Professor Xavier's voice cut through the budding argument. "The facts, as we know them, are these: Jean sacrificed her life to allow us to escape from the water. This morning, Scott took the jet and went up to the lake where she died. He found her there, alive. I realize this seems to be a contradiction in terms, but it is true. In answer to your question, Storm, it is indeed the Jean Grey we know and…" he paused, looking hard at Scott and Logan, "…love. However, she has undergone a change, an evolution if you will. Her spirit is the same, but her powers have changed. She can now fly, and there may be other new powers that we shall discover in due course. But do not treat her as a different person. She has been through a great deal, all of it for us, and she does not deserve our suspicion."

Storm nodded, but then burst out, "How is this possible!"

"I do not know yet. I do know that when mutants' powers manifest in adolescence, it is during periods of great emotional stress. That may have some bearing on Jean's case. Now, all of you leave. I need time to think. And, Logan,"

"Yes, Professor?"

"If I have told you once, I have told you a thousand times: Please have the courtesy to put your cigar out when you are in Cerebro, or in my office!"

"Sorry, Professor."

Scott entered the darkened room on tiptoe. He could hear moans coming from the bed. "Jean?" he called softly.

"I'm going to die…I have to do this…Oh, Scott, I'll miss you…I…I…" her voice trailed off and Scott saw her mouth open in a soundless scream. He ran to her side. "Jean! Wake up! Jean!"

She came awake with a start, and clutched at him like a small child wakened from a nightmare. "Oh, Scott," she murmured, "I could feel it…water…there was water everywhere…above me, below me, all around me…it was all black…Scott, I couldn't see! And I couldn't breathe! God, Scott, I'm _dead_! What am I doing here!" She began to sob.

"Jean…stop…it's real. I'm here. You're not dead. You're not dreaming." He kissed her softly on the lips. "Was that a dream?" Wiping her eyes, Jean shook her head and smiled weakly.

"Would you come with me to see Professor Xavier? He just wants to talk for a while."

When she didn't answer, Scott put his hand under his chin and tilted her face up. "Jean?"

She nodded. "Sorry about being such an idiot," she sighed.

"You're not an idiot. It must have been terrifying."

She grinned weakly. "Oh, and Scott…I didn't have time to tell you before…you might want to tell Logan to stay away from me again."

"What did Logan do?"

"Oh…nothing."

Scott said nothing, but kissed her again. She blinked away tears. "Thanks," she murmured, and left the room.

"Professor, the last thing I remember is not being able to breathe, and thinking, 'Oh, God, I'll never see Scott again', and then I woke up on the shore of the lake in broad daylight."

"Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice once remarked," Xavier said tiredly. "Oh, Jean, don't worry. You are undeniably real, and not a ghost or a manifestation. I just don't know what caused it."

"That's not what's bothering me, Professor."

"What is it, Jean?" he asked gently.

"It's just that—I should be dead. I _died_, Professor, and I shouldn't be here."

"No, Jean. You _are_ here, which is the best proof that anyone needs that you _should_ be here. Ask Scott. Somehow I don't think he would think you _shouldn't_ be here."

"You really think so, Professor?"

"I really think so, Jean. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks, Professor."

Jean got up and left. The door shut behind her, without the touch of her hand. Professor Xavier smiled a little. "That's my Jean."

A few moments later, Storm entered. She was smiling.

"Yes, Storm, what is it?" the Professor asked.

"I think we've got the answer, and you'll be happy to know that Jean is Jean, as far as I can tell, anyway."

"What _is_ the answer, Storm?"

"There's a metal we found in Jean's bloodstream, and it's—well, extremely peculiar, to say the least."

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning that whenever a mutant uses his or her powers near it, the evolution process kicks in again and mutates them further."

"You mean like when Beast took a serum and…"

"Almost. Except that in the case of the metal, it can bring new powers to the fore, as well as developing the old ones."

Xavier's face paled suddenly, and Storm stepped forward, concerned, and laid her hand on his arm. "Professor, what is it?"

"I don't know if you realize this, but…what if Magneto or another of the powerful, unscrupulous mutants were to seize this metal?"

Storm clapped her hand to her mouth in horror, as the meaning of the Professor's words hit home. He nodded to her, "He could become more powerful than any of us have dreamed possible."

To be continued…


	2. Phoenix

Disclaimer: Alenida no own X-men. Alenida own Alenida.

A/N: To everyone out there who is a canon X-men fan: I wrote this before I actually knew anything about X-men other than the movies. This is why it really doesn't follow the comics. At all. It's really rather AU.

Reborn

Part II

"Hey, Logan!" Scott called, seeing the familiar form on the grass near the basketball court.

"Yeah?" Logan shouted back.

"Seen Jean anywhere?"

"No. Why?"

"I just wondered. I haven't seen her in a while."

"Maybe she went back up to her room."

"Maybe."

Scott turned and made his way back into the building.

Jean was sitting at the back of the school, alone. "I'm alive. Alive. Scott's here. I'm okay," she whispered, trying to reassure herself. She gazed at a fallen tennis-ball. Almost unconsciously, she flicked her hand, and the ball flicked over into her hand. She dropped it with an exclamation.

"Of course. That's normal," she murmured. "I'm telekinetic. I know that already. Why am I worried?"

Suddenly gripped with a sense of disaster looming, and of despair, she clutched for something solid in the shifting world. Her questing hands caught the side of the school building, and she collapsed against it, sobbing. "This is wrong, all wrong," she whispered. "I should be happy. I'm alive; Scott is happy—isn't he? He is…does he even believe it's me?"

With horror, she laid bare the deep fear she had been hiding. _What if I'm not me? Or if I am…what if no one believes it's me? I'm sure some of them believe that I'm Mystique or some kind of unreal clone…or…_

She began to shudder, pressing her hands to her eyes to stop the tears which were threatening to flow again. She took deep, gasping breaths, as if to remind herself that she could. "You are Jean," she told herself fiercely. "If _I_ don't believe I'm me, how can I expect anyone else to? My memories are all intact; even my…the lake…they're all intact."

She felt her arm, searching for an old scar. When she found it, she began to laugh in delight and relief. "I'm no clone; I'm no Mystique. You can't clone scar tissue."

She heard a step behind her and whirled round. "Scott?" There was a tiny thudding sound as the tranquilizer buried itself into her shoulder. Jean tried to take a step, but collapsed. A man in black, wearing a metal helmet, caught her and slung her over his back.

"Professor, I can't find Jean anywhere," Scott was worried. He had looked all over the school, but all he had found was a silver chain of Jean's, which she had dropped at the back of the school.

"I'm here, Scott," Jean's familiar voice was cool and unexcited.

"Jean! Where have you been?"

"I just went for a short walk. There's no need to get so upset."

Scott hurried over to her. "I lost you once; I'm not going to lose you again."

"Oh, Scott, you don't need to be overly dramatic." Jean shook her hands loose from Scott's grasp.

"Jean, what's gotten into you?" Scott asked, concerned.

Jean shrugged. "Nothing. I'm fine. I just wish you'd all stop treating me as though I were Mystique, or someone."

Scott was crest-fallen. "Sorry, Jean, I don't mean to. It's just amazing that you're alive."

"No, I guess you don't." She touched him on the shoulder. "I'll be okay."

Logan sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. He thought he'd heard a noise. "Is somebody there?" he called, sleepily.

"It's only me," Jean replied, switching on the light.

"What are you doing here?" Logan asked, surprised.

"You should know." She shook her hair, which lengthened until it lay at her feet.

"Mystique!" The Jean in front of him melted and her eyes yellowed. The hair shortened and reddened.

"How did you…"

"I have my ways." Her eyes blinked, and she leapt like a cat to the windowsill. "Sorry, Wolf-man. No Jeannie for you."

"You—!" She laughed and was out of the window before he could say anything else.

When Jean woke, she felt sick. Strangely, the nauseated feeling reassured her. _I can't be dead if I'm sick to my stomach,_ she thought. Then, as her mind began to clear, she looked around and saw that she was in a seamless metal room. _What happened? Where am I?_ Nobody could have built a metal room without door or window, except…

"Magneto," Jean whispered in horror. As she spoke the metal began to split and fold back, revealing a man in a black cloak, arms folded across his chest, his lip twisted mockingly.

"Well, well…awake, are we, Phoenix?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Phoenix. You _have_ heard the legend of the phoenix, my dear? 'Reborn from the ashes'? I believe that is an apt description of you, Jean."

"Where have you taken me!"

"Why would I want to tell you that, my dear?"

Jean felt her hysteria growing and clamped hard down on it, taking deep breaths to stay calm. "Take me back."

"Why would I want to do that, Phoenix?"

Jean ground her teeth. "My name is _Jean_. What do you want with me?"

"Come now, my dear, you're not stupid. I'm sure you know if you think hard enough."

"Let me go!" she cried, although she had a growing feeling of despair. With a motion, she tried to throw Magneto backwards out of the cell, but he grabbed her by the wrist, twisting it until she bit her lip in pain. Magneto beckoned, and a strip of metal flew in from somewhere outside, pinning Jean to the wall by her neck. She tried to struggle, but the metal bit into her neck, making her gasp for air.

"I would not suggest strangling yourself, my dear. I will be back in a moment."

He turned to leave. He paused in the doorway, looking back and added wryly, "Don't go anywhere."

Jean clenched her fists so tightly that her nails nearly cut into her hands.

Knock, knock. Professor Xavier groaned and switched on his light. "Yes?" he called.

"It's Logan."

Xavier sighed. "Can't it wait until morning?"

"No."

Xavier sighed again. "Come in, Logan."

Logan did not come in. He burst in. Xavier covered his ears. "Could you perhaps be a bit quieter, Logan? There are people who are trying to sleep." _Like I was, until you barged in here._

"Mystique!" Logan burst out.

"What about Mystique?" Xavier asked tiredly.

"She was in my bedroom!"

"Really." _How riveting_.

"As Jean."

Xavier came awake suddenly. "As Jean?"

"Is Jean in her bedroom?"

"I don't know." _Why are you asking me? Why not ask Scott?_

"I'll go ask Scott."

"Good." _I'll go back to sleep._

Logan turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him. _Or not_. Xavier winced in pain, and turned off the light. _Too late. I'm awake._

The metal split open again, and Magneto returned, carrying with him a long syringe. At the sight, Jean felt sweat break out on her forehead, and her breathing became faster and more frantic.

"Oh, don't worry, Phoenix, my dear. I am merely drawing a sample of your blood."

The needle shone in the light. Jean turned her face from side to side in the hopes of making him halt, but the metal tightened until she gasped for breath. The syringe pricked into her neck. Jean bit her lip until she tasted coppery blood. Her neck felt like a hot needle were being pressed into it. Magneto smiled and withdrew the syringe. Jean gasped as the needle tore out of her skin. She felt a trickle of blood run down her neck.

"I…hope…you…sterilized…that," she managed to gasp.

"Of course I did, my dear. I'm not a barbarian." He turned away, the needle still in his hand. Jean felt her stomach twist at the sight of her blood gleaming in the light. As Magneto left, she caught a glimpse of a blue car, which seemed somehow familiar.

"Scott! Wake up!"

Scott turned over in bed, and bumped his eyes against his visor. "Damn! What is it? _Who_ is it?"

"It's Logan."

_Oh, great. _"What do you want?" Scott grumped angrily.

"Is Jean here?"

"How should I know? I was asleep!"

Logan switched on the light. Scott angrily pulled a pillow over his head, to guard against the flow of illumination.

"She's not here!" Logan exclaimed.

"What?" Scott woke up with a vengeance. "Where is she?"

"Uh…" Logan fidgeted uneasily. "She…uh…was in my bedroom,"

"WHAT!" Scott grabbed Logan by the front of his t-shirt.

"But it was Mystique! It wasn't her!"

"Oh." Scott let go. "Then where is she?"

"That's why I was looking here, you—"

"Never mind. We have to find her!"

"Uh…what if it was Mystique all the time?"

"It couldn't be!"

"Why not?"

"It just couldn't be," he finished lamely. _Because if it was, Jean is dead._

"I actually agree with you for once. But if it wasn't Mystique, then where is Jean?"

"Ask Professor X to use Cerebro. He can find her."

"Well, why are you sitting her dreaming? Come on!"

Magneto re-entered Jean's prison. He was twirling a little cylindrical container, which contained a dusty silver powder. "We found this in your blood, my dear. Have you any idea where it came from?"

"No!" Jean replied, defiantly.

"How unfortunate. I shall have to resort to stronger measures."

Jean didn't like the sound of that. "Stronger measures?" She shuddered involuntarily at the thought of what those could be.

"Mystique!" Magneto called over his shoulder. Mystique came in, pushing before her a man in a wheelchair. One blue eye and one green eye glared malevolently at Jean. Jean drew in her breath in horror. "Jason Stryker!"

Pound! Pound! _They're getting louder. Jean must not have been in the bedroom._

"Come in," Xavier groaned and switched his light on again.

"Professor! Professor! We can't find Jean!"

"Well, it's nice to see you're actually cooperating for once, Logan, Scott." _Rather unusual._

"She's gone!"

"Who's gone?" _What are they talking about? I was asleep._

"Jean!"

"Hmmm?"

Logan turned in exasperation and ran out of the room. He returned thirty seconds later with a pot of steaming coffee, which he shoved under the Professor's nose. "Drink!"

"What is it?" _It's dark brown, and it looks like sludge._

"Coffee!"

"Coffee?"

"Just drink it!" Xavier took a sip, blinked his eyes, and immediately felt much more himself than he had in a few hours.

"Jean's gone!"

"What?"

"She's not in her bedroom!"

"Where is she? I seem to recall you saying something about her being in your bedroom, Logan."

"That was Mystique," Logan said quickly, looking at Scott's glower.

"Oh, yes, of course. I shall go to Cerebro immediately."

Xavier felt very tired and old as he put down the helmet. "It's no good. I can't find her anywhere."

"What!" Scott's face screwed up in anxiety.

"I can't find her."

"But…but…it can't have been Mystique all the time!"

"Why not?"

"She…she flew over to me."

"It is possible that you were hallucinating."

"I was _not_ hallucinating! I didn't just see her…she was there, in my arms!"

"Hallucinating, obviously," Logan put in.

"In your dreams, Wolfman!"

"Please, gentlemen," Xavier cut in. "This discussion is fascinating, but it does not shed any light on our present predicament."

"Professor, you don't really think it could have been Mystique the whole time!"

Xavier's voice grew grave with pity. "I do not know. But, Scott, I cannot find Jean anymore."

"No! That can't be!" Scott looked pleadingly at Xavier. "She was alive…"

"Scott…"

"Find Mystique! Find her!"

Jean blinked her eyes. The blurry scene resolved itself. She was lying on her back, in her own room. "Scott?" she asked, confused. Someone bent over her—Professor Xavier.

"Professor! Magneto—"

"It's all right, Jean." He put his hand on hers. "You're safe in the school."

"Thank God. Where's Scott?"

"You can see him soon. But first we need to talk about your revival, Jean. What do you remember about it?"

"Well…after the dam burst, and I knew we weren't going to make…I knew I had to do something. I could save everybody; I'd be the only casualty. So I left the X-jet. And I started repairing it and changing the flow of the water. I also took your brain for a moment, remember?…to tell Scott goodbye. Then the jet took off, and I let go of the water. It was awful. There was black everywhere, and I was tossed around everywhere…and I couldn't breathe. I knew I was going to die, and my last thought was 'Oh, God, I'll never see Scott again!', and then I woke up beside Alkali Lake in broad daylight."

"And your powers?"

"I don't know…I mean, I know I can fly, but I haven't tried anything else yet, because I was…well, scared, I suppose. I don't know what happened."

"Don't worry about it. We do."

Jean smiled up at Xavier, their eyes meeting. Jean felt her shoulders tense…something was wrong…what…? Then she knew. _Xavier had one green eye._ Jean screamed…

To be continued…


	3. The Metal

Disclaimer: Me own X-men not.

A/N: Thanks to people who reviewed!

Laurel Ducky: Actually, Gene IS a girl's name; it's just a different spelling. I think it's cooler than "Jean" anyway, but what can you do with crazy X-men owner people? aka Marvel

Wen: JOTT forever! Much better than Logan/Jean. Those annoy me.

Reborn

Part III

Mystique, in her natural form, stood, arms crossed, smirking at Jean. She took hold of Stryker's wheelchair, and pushed him out of the room, returning to lean against the wall, a mocking smile on her face.

"Thank you, my dear," Magneto said. Jean clapped her hand to her mouth in horror at what she had said. "Oh, no," she whispered.

"Oh, yes, my dear. Oh, yes."

Jean licked dry lips. "What are you going to do with me now?" she asked. _Oh, I don't want to die. I've already been through it once, and Scott would—well, never mind._

"Don't worry, my dear Phoenix. We are all going to make a trip up to the lake. I need a hostage in case my old friend Xavier discovers what I am up to, and you will do splendidly, my dear—until we've found the metal, of course."

_Oh, God. He's going to murder me. He didn't think anything of killing Rogue—he'll murder me, too, without hesitation. _

Jean bit hard down on her lip to stop herself from screaming.

"In the meantime, as we travel to the lake, Mystique can keep you company."

Mystique smiled, a cruel smile. Jean swallowed hard. Magneto turned and left, his black cloak swirling around him. Mystique's form wavered and changed, metamorphosing into a form which Jean found very familiar. She closed her eyes. "You're not Scott," she said.

"Oh, I know you know that," Mystique replied. "I just thought it would make you happy to see him."

Jean took deep, steadying breaths to stop herself from crying. _I won't give them the satisfaction._ She opened her eyes. Mystique, still in the same form, was approaching, a mocking smile curling her lips. Jean willed herself not to move until the shapeshifter came close enough. Mystique reached out and curled a piece of Jean's hair around her finger. "Jeannie, with the light brown hair," she said. "You've heard the song, Phoenix?"

Jean gritted her teeth and suddenly leaned her body forward, trying to strike out at Mystique, but the shapeshifter jumped back with incredible speed, ripping out the chunk of Jean's hair that had been around her finger. Jean yelped in pain.

Mystique melted back into her own form. "I wonder how he's feeling now," she mused. Jean didn't have to ask who 'he' was. _Oh, Scott._

"This is strange. I cannot pinpoint Mystique either."

"WHAT?" Scott yelled in outrage.

"Calm down, please, Scott. I'm sure there's an explanation."

"I want her! That damned shapeshifter has been playing a game—a _game_!—with Jean's memory!"

Xavier massaged his temples. "Scott, CALM DOWN! I'm sure Logan agrees with me that there's no reason to get so upset—yet. Don't you, Logan? Logan?"

No one answered. Xavier turned around in his wheelchair. Only Scott was standing behind him now. "Scott—where's Logan?"

"How should I know!"

Xavier suppressed a groan. Now what?

Under the basketball court, Logan started to get into a blue car—Scott's. He stopped suddenly. _I'm sure that the garage wasn't this small before._ _And where is the X-jet?_

Logan jumped out. There was no doubt. There was an extra partition along the back wall of the garage. It was made of adamantium. _I _know_ we didn't have an adamantium back wall before. And nobody could have created one that quickly, except for…_

"Magneto," he spoke the word aloud. He remembered the last time Magneto had wanted to do something—he'd kidnapped Rogue, nearly killed her. Would he think any more about kidnapping Jean if she had something he wanted—and killing her once he'd got it? Logan jumped back in the blue car and roared out of the garage. Scott was just running out of the school, followed by Professor Xavier. Logan flung the door open. "Get in!" he yelled. "I know where Jean is!"

"She's alive?" Scott asked incredulously.

"She damn well is—but for how long, I don't know!"

Scott helped the Professor into the car, got in himself and slammed the door shut.

"Why aren't we taking the X-jet?" he asked.

"For one very simple reason: someone else already did!"

Logan could see the ideas clicking into Xavier's brain. "Of course. Magneto," the Professor said.

"Magneto! What's Magneto got to do with Jean!" Scott demanded.

"He has kidnapped her, Scott. And somehow he is shielding her from Cerebro. It is fortunate that Mystique seems to be in the same place, and that you suggested I look for Mystique, or we might never have found Jean. As it is, I believe we are going to Alkali Lake, Logan?"

"Yes. I only hope we're not too late."

"Too late!" Scott yelped.

"If Magneto finds what he is after, there will be no point in his keeping Jean any longer. The only reason she may be still alive is because Magneto will want a hostage in case we get to Alkali Lake before he has found the metal he is looking for—the one that brought Jean back to life."

Scott glanced at the speedometer. "We'll be too late. The X-jet is five times as fast my car. Hurry!"

"They will need not only to get there, but to extract the metal. I believe they may find that it is harder to extract than they think."

Scott's face was etched with lines of worry. "Oh, I hope so," he said heartfeltedly.

"Until we get there and see for ourselves, there is nothing more we can do than hope," Xavier said soberly.

The metal box split into strips, which bound Jean before she could move, arms at her sides, legs together, and a helmet of the metal over her head. Even before seeing where she was, she started to yell for help. Another strip of metal tightened around her throat, and she broke off, beginning to choke.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but I can't have you alerting anyone to our presence, can I?" Magneto's smooth voice asked. Jean was ready to scream in frustration. She was powerless, unable to move, unable to speak, and completely at the mercy of her captors. She was staring up into the sky. By turning her head, she could catch a glimpse of water, glinting in the sun. Alkali Lake. _Right back where I started. It was where I died once, and I'm going to die here again. Oh, God, I'm frightened. I don't want to die._

Magneto was staring at the water, trying to decide what to do next. His power did not work on this particular metal, which in itself was of interest, and without using his power, how could he get to the metal beneath the lake? Magneto smiled. He enjoyed a challenge. He could drain the lake, of course, but if there were a quicker option, it would be more sensible to consider it first. Xavier and his pitiful band of 'X-men' would be on to him, if he weren't fast. True, he held the Phoenix—but he was still vulnerable until he found the metal.

"Oh, great, a roadblock," moaned Scott.

"We're almost there. We can walk the rest of the way. †It's only five minutes," Logan replied.

"I will remain here. I should be able to draw Magneto away from the group," Xavier said. "You two go on."

Scott jumped out of the car and started to run. Logan remained only long enough to pull a gun out of the glove compartment and tuck it into his belt, then he, too, was off.

Magneto started. He heard Xavier's voice in his head, saying, _You don't have your helmet on, Eric. Why so careless?_ Magneto snarled and whispered inside his head, _Where are you, Charles?_

_I know where you are, and what you are attempting to do,_ Xavier replied.

_I think we need to have a discussion, old friend,_ Magneto thought.

_I believe you are right. You are unlikely to find the metal before Logan and Scott arrive. Perhaps we can come to terms._

_Perhaps. I do hold the Phoenix._

Magneto began to walk in the direction of Xavier's thought, not feeling the subtle mind-force Xavier was using to persuade him to come.

Jason Stryker was truly aware for the first time in years. He could barely think, yet he knew what was happening. He was consumed with a burning desire for revenge upon his father. But where was his father? He knew. His father was a mutant, too. He changed shape. Right now he was standing, facing the woman, the Phoenix, they had brought up here, in her shape, trussed and bound in metal just as she was. It was an attempt to confuse the rescuers who were expected to arrive if Magneto did not figure out how to get at the metal in time.

Stryker was confused. Which of the woman bound in metal was his father? He didn't know. But he knew how to kill by illusion. He would do that. If he were wrong, he could always try again.

Logan, closely followed by Scott, raced up the tortuous mountain pathway. He tripped, giving an exclamation of annoyance as he tore the skin on his hand open. It closed up again a moment later as he ran on. By this time, Scott had caught up and was ahead of him. They crested a small rise and caught sight of figures ahead through the trees, and the glinting of sunlight on water. He and Scott burst silently through the trees.

Logan saw the sun lancing down the trees, illuminating a clearing by the lake. Facing him, Jean was tied up and blindfolded. In front of her, a familiar figure stood with his back to Logan. _Magneto,_ Logan thought. _He doesn't know I'm here. I'll never have a better chance._ Logan drew his gun and took aim.

Scott stumbled, panting, into the clearing. He stared, bewildered, at a pair of identical Jean Greys standing, facing each other. _Oh, great. Now which one is Mystique, and which one is _my_ Jean?_

He just had time to realize that the Jean with her back to him had to be the real one because she was not wearing Jean's silver necklace, but the other one was, and Scott had the original in his pocket, when Logan burst into the clearing. Logan's eyes narrowed, and he pulled a gun out from his belt.

"Logan, what the hell—!" Scott started to say, but the gun was aimed at Jean's back. Logan's finger tightened on the trigger. Scott didn't have any time to do anything, except throw himself forward into the path of the bullet…

Jean couldn't see anything. Magneto had left. But why? She didn't have any idea. _Maybe Professor X has arrived,_ Jean thought hopefully. There was a crunching noise in the bushes behind Jean. She tried to turn around, but the metal strips held her in place. "Damn!" Jean murmured as someone raced into the clearing. _Who? Logan? Scott? Not the Professor, of course._ For a brief moment, nothing happened. Jean strained her ears. There was another crunching noise. She heard Scott's muffled voice yelling, "Logan, what the hell—!", and somewhere a gun discharged.

In the X-jet, Professor Xavier sat calmly in the shadows, waiting for Magneto's arrival. Eric arrived, a dark shadow in the doorway of the jet. _And for once, Eric has forgotten his helmet._ Magneto stepped forward, his eyes a blue blank. _I know how I can outwit Charles. I will tie my feet up, and he will think I am incapacitated,_ was the thought Xavier subtly insinuated into Magneto's brain.

Logan stared in horror as the gun discharged, and Scott dove forward. The scene altered subtly. Suddenly, there were two Jean Greys standing, facing each other. No Magneto. And a man in a wheelchair calmly watching the whole altercation. Logan froze for a moment, then rushed forward. He delivered one punch on Jason Stryker's chin. The man slumped forward.

Logan unsheathed his claws. He paused for a moment, staring, his head whipping back and forth. _The perfume. The Jean facing me is wearing too much perfume._ In one quick motion, he slashed his claws forward, slashing down and through the metal binding the real Jean as though it were butter. She tumbled forward, and he caught her.

"Scott?" her worried voice demanded.

"It's Logan."

"Where's Scott?" Jean asked, even as she pulled the blindfold down from her face. Logan gestured mutely. "Oh, God! Scott!" Jean was on her knees beside the fallen man. "What happened?"

"Uh…I shot him. I thought you were Magneto."

"Oh, God. Scott, can you hear me? Scott!"

Scott pulled in a hoarse, dragging breath. "Jean?" he gasped.

"Scott…where did it hit you? Oh, God. Oh, God," Jean moaned as she stared at the patch of red in the middle of Scott's stomach.

"Jean…sorry…Logan was…going to…"

"He thought I was Magneto," Jean's face worked in horror and agony. "Oh, Scott."

"How…bad is…it?"

Jean swallowed, and put up her hand to brush away a tear. "Scott…it's pretty bad."

Scott's hand moved up to grasp hers. "Hey…no tears…Phoenix…huh? I'll be…okay…"

Jean's breathing was getting more forced and her eyes were swimming with tears. "Of course you will. You don't think I'd let you get…hurt, do you?"

"No…'course…not…" Scott's voice trailed off and his hand fell back, limp.

"Scott! Oh, please God, no!" The tears overflowed and Jean put her head into her hands and began to sob, the moisture leaking through to drip onto Scott's motionless form. Jean reached forward shaking hands to remove Scott's visor. His eyes were closed. Jean put her hand to his throat, to feel the pulse. She felt a weak flutter, growing steadily fainter. "Oh…no…please, Scott…" the tears were flowing faster than ever.

Scott took a deep breath, and Jean's hand flew to his pulse again. Stronger. Stronger? "Scott?" she stared down in amazement at the gaping hole in Scott's stomach. It was closing up. Jean's breathing grew faster and she shook Scott by the shoulder. The visor dropped from her hands to land with a thud on the dirt. Scott's eyes flickered, and he reached for the visor. Jean handed it to him. "Scott?"

"Jean?"

"Are you all right? What happened?"

"I…don't…know…" Scott sat up with a groan. Jean flung her arms around him. Scott tilted her face up and kissed her. Scott turned suddenly to direct a piercing glare at Logan, "Hey. What are you staring at?"

Logan blinked, stuck his hands in his pockets, turned away and started whistling. Scott turned back to Jean.

"Kind of a late honeymoon, isn't it, Jean?" Logan asked. Jean grinned. "I don't know. We've only been married for four months."

"Yeah, but…" Logan stared at her middle. Jean laid a hand on the growing bulge in her midsection. "I guess it's a little late. But better late than never, right, Scott?" she asked her husband as he walked up. For answer, Scott drew her to him, and kissed her.

"We need to give Phoenix and her tears a rest, don't we?" he smiled down at her. Logan sighed, but nodded. "Congratulations, Jean, Scott. I'll be seeing you—soon, I hope."

Jean smiled at him. "Thanks."

The End

Final A/N: This is the beginning of a story arc which I'm not posting as a novel because the stories focus on different characters. This is the only three-parter, though, all the others are one-shots. The next story in the series is "Shades of Gray" and the main character is Kitty Pryde.


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